Business and Music - Paul Tobey

If you suffer from tinnitus enough to seek out medical attention for help, you are not alone. Tinnitus Sufferers are on the rise with tinnitus making headlines throughout the world. Noise induced tinnitus seems to be the one making the most headlines with expressed concern over how IPOD’s and other music devises promoting “loud noise” can be contributing to the growing problem.  With an aging population, hearing loss is another contributer adding to an increased total of persons suffering from tinnitus. 

On the scale of 1 to 10, (10 being the worst), if you rate your tinnitus a 5 and up, it is interfering with your happiness, your life, and your well being.  There is help! For more information about Paul Tobey and Tinnitus visit

http://www.paultobey.com/tinnitus/

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I have been part of the piano google group for many years. This story touched me so I thought I’d share Clemmie’s story and my thoughts on Memorizing Piano Music

Clemmie wrote: Gradually, my ability to memorise and improvise disappeared completely, and now, even though I have my diploma hanging on the wall etc, I am completely unable to play any piece of music unless I have music in front of me. This is a source of huge embarrassment and great frustration to me, and I wondered if anyone here could give me hints, tips, point me to a hypnotherapist who specialises in music or just ANYTHING that could help me get over this block and get back that childlike innocent genuine MUSIC-MAKING skill I once had.

> Help, please, anyone?

Hi Clemmie,

Welcome to the group. I’ve been lurking in this group for years but don’t really have time to participate too much. But when I read your story, I was moved to jump in. First, I’m sorry you had to experience music that way. It sounds like you were quite gifted and that you are still passionate about the piano.

Please note that I don’t really give advice, I can only speak based on my own experience.

We all have our phsychological, emotional, mental and physical barriers when it comes to practicing and/or performing. Your barrier is not that you can’t remember a piece. It is your emotional reaction to the idea of remembering a piece. In fact, you are describing stress. Stress is the amount of energy you put into resisting your situation. It’s not the situation that causes stress, it’s the amount of energy you put into resisting your situation that causes stress.

Change the behavior, you change the results.

The first step is to become aware of what your internal dialogue when you approach the piano. What is your little voice telling you? Is it saying “i feel guilty for not doing what is expected of me?” Is it saying “I’m not good enough, talented enough, smart enough, disciplined enough?” Once you become aware of your internal dialogue, you become aware of what you are truly feeling as you sit down at the piano.

If you feel victimized, like you’ve been violated (someone stole your pure creativity), it’ll be tough getting your creativity back if all you are focused on is the fact creativity was ripped away from you in your youth.

What you focus on expands. If you focus on what you have lost, that will expand. If you focus on what you are in the process of gaining, that will expand.

When you are sitting at the piano, your thoughts become reality. Your thoughts instantly take form as you are creating. Your barrier is that you are focused on what was once, instead of focusing on the now! If all you do is focus on the fact that it was once easy for you to memorize, you are not focusing on the now. Present moment awareness is key to the piano or any instrument, or life in general really.

The first step to healing is becoming aware of what you are experiencing. What you are feeling. Just sit at the piano, in front of the keys, and meditate on what you are feeling. Don’t play. Just feel. Does it feel stressful, joyful, painful, or are you anticipating stress, or you anticipating pain? Are you looking forward to playing, or are you hearing little scripts in your head saying “you used to be great, now your not, you are not this, that, etc?”. What are you feeling? Write it down.

The next day, sit at the piano and turn your attention to the now. Feel the joy of playing. Feel the joy of what it is to make beautiful sounds. Just let your hands explore over the keys, and listen to every note like it was the most beautiful sound you ever made! Because it is. You are in the now! No one can steal this moment and pure joy from you. Feel the joy and the freedom in the now.

Once you have gone through this little exercise, and you are in the now, and every note is beautiful…even wrong notes. Now, in the present moment, without any judgement on yourself, you are ready to learn one thing.

I teach the 10-24-7 Paul Tobey method!

What does this mean? Well, 10 stands for the amount of energy you put into learning what it is you’re learning. How many things can you learn at once? One!

So if you have a big pile of music sitting on the piano just get rid of it! Put it away. You can’t possibly learn all that anyway. So, just learn one thing at a time.

Identify that one thing you will learn (one line, one chorus, one melody, one piece, one chord progression…whatever you FEEL you can do and do it at a level 10. Remember, the key is; giving 100% of your energy until you can play it - without thinking (without thought). Do not move on until you can do that particular ONE thing - effortlessly.

Then, do the same thing again in 24 hours. At a level 10 (100% of your energy), learn the same single thing you just learned the day before. Do not move on to the next thing until you feel it is effortless.

Then, in 7 days do it again and I promise you that your retention rate for that one thing you learned will go up by 85%. Is this possible? Yes!

There’s a term we use for this type of learning and it’s called “accelerated learning techniques” or “advanced learning techniques.” It’s what I teach in my seminars because it’s what works best for me and for the hundreds of people I’ve taught it to.

Your barriers are not in the brain. It’s not a malfunction of your intellectual or physical ability. Your barrier (self-percieved limitations) live in the little voice in our brain. It is only a barrier. It can be healed. You can eliminate it. But first you must understand it. You must stop feeling like a victim. You must stop focusing on the past (who you were), and start focusing on who you are (in the now). Your passion for the piano is evident. Your passion is living in the now.

The question is, how long is your past going to control your present? If want to experience freedom at the piano, all you have to do is sit on the bench, let your hands feel the notes, and listen to every note like it was the best note you ever played. Then, without judging yourself, or any note you play, just learn one thing in the now. Do it again in 24 hours, and again in 7 days. Remember, don’t judge what you can or cannot do. Just feel, and be aware of the little voice inside your mind. And when it tells you “i can’t memorize this thing”…just say “thanks for sharing”, get the thought out of the way, and go back to the joy of playing.

Remember, don’t believe a word I say. I am speaking from my own life experiences. Let go of your attachment to the past, and play for the love of playing, and you’ll change the behavior that is limiting your learning.

Keep playing from the heart,

Paul

Dan Warren has been announced as the conductor for the Camino de Santiago Suite!

About Dan Warren:

Trumpeter and Conductor Daniel Warren has played in the trumpet section of the KW Symphony for the past seventeen years. During that time he has performed numerous solos and concerti including the Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra by Phil Nimmons, first touring the piece and then recording it for a CBC SM5000 CD. He performed Johnny Cowell’s Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra which was taped fora national Television broadcast. He has toured with the Toronto Symphony to Europe in 1983 and in North, South and Central America, Spain, Germany, Holland and Switzerland with the Canadian Chamber Ensemble. He resides near Guelph with his lovely wife, Rosanne and his two children William and Lucy in a house he built himself (with a lot of help!) .

For more information about Paul Tobey’s Feb 18th debut with the Brantford Symphony Orchestra and the Road to Santiago Suite click here http://www.paultobey.com/blog/?cat=8

Are you a chronic tinnitus sufferer and with thoughts or feelings of suicide? Please consult your medical doctor right away and ask for help. There are treatments available to help you on this difficult journey.  I know, because I’ve been down that road. Chronic tinnitus feels like a nightmare and can lead to suicidal thoughts.  Having said that, your life situation can change for the better. There are things you can to do that will improve your life situation.  The road to recovery is possible. 

The following Tinnitus Story about my Journey with Tinnitus (ringing in ears) appeared in the the June 2006 Edition of Tinnitus Today published by the American Tinnitus Association.  I hope it inspires you to find the help you deserve!

“My Choice” by Paul Tobey - Copyright Paul Tobey May 2006

I have devoted my life to the study of sound. I am not a physicist, a doctor, a scientist, nor an audiologist. I am a master of sound, an accomplished concert pianist. Since the age of eight, I’ve studied the relationship between the body and the vibration of musical notes. What I couldn’t have known is that one day I would deeply yearn for the one note I would never hear again – the note of “no sound.”

Perhaps the tinnitus was caused by all of those over-the-counter decongestants I was taking for my flu, or maybe it was the stress of being at the pinnacle of my performing career, or maybe it was the news that my wife, Nancy, was giving up a good paying job, or a combination thereof. Whatever it was, one night I dreamt I was sitting on an airport tarmac between two jet engines. When I woke up, I realized this noise wasn’t just a dream. It was in my head! I rolled off the bed onto the floor in a fetal position with hands over my ears.

Over the next few weeks, I begged doctors to help me. My journey of hope began with visits to family doctors, referrals, and audiologists. Weeks turned into years with more research leading my wife and me to more doctors, shamans, and dozens of healers around the world. We live in Canada, but traveled to as far away as Japan.

What started as my journey of hope turned into a dark and painful life with bouts of deep depression. The tinnitus sabotaged my music, my marriage, and sometimes my very desire to live. The worst part was that because my injury was not visible to the world, people had no appreciation or ability to feel compassion for my suffering. I felt very alone. It suddenly occurred to me that maybe Van Gogh cut off his ear to make his suffering visible to the world – not because he thought it would stop his tinnitus.

Believing no one in the world could understand my physical pain, or my emotional burden, I turned to the Internet only to find chat groups with more stories of chronic depression and misery. It became clear I wasn’t alone in my suffering, but it didn’t make me feel better about my situation. That was when my wife became the most afraid, and ordered me to stay out of the virtual company of these sufferers, and instead to stay abreast of research through the American Tinnitus Association.

I was so busy fighting the tinnitus and struggling to make it through the day, I barely noticed my wife’s struggle with my tinnitus too. I had no energy for her personal fight to keep me alive, or to fight the Canadian Hearing Association when they told me they couldn’t measure the volume of the noise I hear (higher than their instruments could measure). I had no strength to fight the audiologist who sold me “white noise/masking hearing aids” that, despite my discipline, hope, and full cooperation, didn’t work for me. I didn’t have the energy to fight other health professionals who tried to help but whose good ideas didn’t work. They got my money; I kept the tinnitus.

My last hope, or so I thought, was an audiologist and medical doctor team who specialized in treating musician’s hearing problems. Because I’m self employed, I have no drug insurance plan. Feeling for my situation, they gave me dozen packets of antidepressants. Feeling hopeful that maybe they would work, I poured the boxes out on the kitchen table. That’s when I noticed my wife’s anger and when she gave me the ultimatum: “Paul, either you choose to live your life on antidepressants, or you choose to face your disability and conquer it. If you choose to conquer it, you will live a happy life with me and Adrian [our son]. If you choose the antidepressants, you will miss your music and your family. It’ll all be gone.” She stood there with hands on hips and said, “You choose now, because I’m ready to live with whatever you choose.”

With my glimmer of hope turning into profound rage, I swept the table with my arm, and all the pill boxes flew around the room. My rage turned into deep sorrow for my loss of silence, and I bawled for the longest time, curled up on the floor. Nancy never came to comfort me. Maybe she knew I needed to let go of my rage. She watched standing at a distance and repeated the words “You must choose now. It’s been four years, and you have to choose what you are going to do.” I sheepishly got up knowing that I would get no sympathy from her now. This was tough love. I picked up the packets, and began to flush the pills down the toilet.

I cried all night, mourning the fact that after four years, the tinnitus wasn’t going away. I had cried many times before, but this time was different. On this night, I began to surrender to the tinnitus. I knew the tinnitus would somehow have to become my new best friend.

But I wouldn’t be doing it alone. With Nancy and Adrian by my side, my tinnitus healthcare team at the ready, a new spiritual mentor into my life, I was introduced to books about the theory of mind, body, and spirit. I kept a journal of what I ate, how I lived, and my thought processes. Over a period of time, I learned by trial and error that I could control the volume of my tinnitus by completely eliminating wheat products, milk, caffeine, yellow vegetables, pork, salt, red wine, and citrus fruits from my diet, and introducing a high-protein diet of beef and certain types of beans, plus broccoli and other green vegetables. What I eat seems to control the volume of the tinnitus. I learned that exercise, sex, meditation, and playing the piano kept my mind off of the tinnitus for long stretches of time. I learned that my negative thought processes had kept me focused and addicted to my tinnitus, and that I could actually control my thoughts to take the focus off of my tinnitus. I learned that no one else in the world was empowered to heal me, and that I would ultimately be responsible for my own healing.

Seven years later, I am a completely new person. Tinnitus has transformed my life – in very positive ways. Because of the tinnitus, I have walked an 850km pilgrimage across Spain, produced spiritual films, composed symphony music, became a certified motivational trainer, and am currently writing my first book. I am healthier, wiser, more grounded, humbled, and very grateful for my life.

Because of the tinnitus, I now teach people how to find their inner strength and use it to conquer their mind’s attachment to illness, vulnerabilities, emotional burdens, and fears. And yet, with all of my professional credits, nothing in my life’s journey comes close to my personal accomplishment of conquering my tinnitus. No, I may never experience silence again. But tinnitus now serves as a beacon in my life. It is no longer the cruel enemy that once controlled me.

As a master of sound, I can tell you that the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard is the suspended space between two musical notes – that open space of “no sound,” of silence. It’s such a great gift. But I’ve learned that other profound gifts do come, and from the strangest forms of suffering. As my loving wife once said in one desperate attempt to save my life, “It’s your choice.” And so I’ve chosen. 

For more information about Paul Tobey and Tinnitus visit

http://www.paultobey.com/tinnitus/

Public Speaking Training Seminar on Nov 4 & 5 was truly a blessing and a personal best for me.  It was personally rewarding to teach Train the Trainer and a fantastic group to teach!  I had the opportunity to train veteran seminar speakers, one comedian, a couple of networking group leaders, a real estate agent, decorators, designers, and a couple of people from the health and wellness industry, a numbers man… amongst others. 

If you missed this training, the next one will be in March 07. Click Here for More Information! Public Speaking Training Seminar

The emails are still coming in, but here are a few comments on last weekend’s training:

“It was a great experience…you are AMAZING!’ -  Elana Carissimo

” Thank you for enlightening information that will help with my presentation skills…thus allowing me to close more smoothly…resulting in a higher conversion rate” Doris Parreno, www.realtors4u.ca

“Great Energy.  The entire teaching approach by Paul came from a foundation built on credability, trust, honest, emotion and experience.  I found it an incredible learning experience from a very unique and special human being with a very special talent.  I am looking forward to more experiences together in the near future.  You will be recommended by me at every opportunity!” Victor Rempel, www.mississauga.WeAreNetwork.com

Thank You to all who attended!  Congrats to our students who recieved their Train the Trainer Certification!

It was a blessing, and I look forward to the next time!

Paul Tobey

49 Cent Online Promotion for Christmas Music only until Dec. 1st 2006! Enjoy your favorite christmas classics! Christmas At the Piano by Paul Tobey! Rave Reviews “Frenzied Mob right About New CD!” 

Enjoy Your .99 cent popular piano music downloads http://www.paultobey.com/store/home.php?cat=251

Self-help tinnitus guide books, tinnitus seminars and meditations available for easy access download. Finding Help for Tinnitus can be difficult. Finding help RIGHT NOW! is even more difficult.

Read More…

Picture yourself seated in a crowded theatre as dimly lit figures garbed in ancient robes chant the ethereal rhymes of medieval folklore. As they saunter toward the stage the spotlight focuses on a solitary figure dressed in a brilliant flowing white robe emerging from behind the stillness of the eagerly awaiting orchestra.

As he begins to caress the keys he joins the monks in a gloriously carved piano music improvisation. And as the orchestra takes flight the lights and sounds grow in harmonious strength as the journey through ancient Spain begins to unfold…

What you’ve just read is the opening sequence of Paul Tobey’s new piano music show - a new symphony of epic proportion set in the backdrop of Paul’s 850 km pilgrimage across northern Spain. It’s mythical, vibrant, inspiring, entertaining and musically abundant!

You won’t want to miss “A Musical Journey Through Spain,” presented by the Brantford Symphony Orchestra and guest artist Paul Tobey coming to the Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts this February 18th. For more information and to get tickets for this orchestral debut Call 1-800-265-0710

“There wasn’t a soul in the audience who didn’t come away thoroughly entertained.” Harrie Currie, Kitchener Record

“One of Tobey’s greatest gifts is his ability to improvise piano music in the same league as J.S. Bach and come out sounding like an equal.” Linda Geary, Brantford Expositor

Tickets On Sale Now!
Call 1-800-265-0710

Click Here To Read About Paul’s
Camino de Santiago Experience

. . . . .

It’s been a long while since I blogged about this concert. 

I was lucky enough to be invited to speak at the Company of Pilgrim’s meeting on Saturday to a great crowd.  It’s great to be amongst pilgrim’s just to share together what we experience on the Camino.  I screened about 10 minutes of the film, and they were thrilled to see images of the Camino - only if it brings them back for a second.

So I had a thought.  What if I took the 60 hours of footage I have, and edit the video to the music I composed.  A DVD of just images and music.  There is no story to tell.  Just the essence of where the music was inspired from.  I’ll try and have some of that footage available for the concert next Feb.

Needless to say the DVD sold like hotcakes.  I had to take orders because I didn’t bring enough product with me.  It’s a good little product though - it contains 2 short documentaries that were inspired by the road. 

Also, we have a new conductor on board for the symphony.  Luckily for me he was also once part of the Camino and has experience with the  Road to Santiago.  Funny how things work out.  I promised I wouldn’t go ahead with an annoucement until the Symphony can finalize that.  But, I’m excited by the exceptional quality of this new conductor, and comes highly highly recommended by peers. 

The costume designer is now sketching.  So, I hope to have the sketches by next week so we can proceed.  I’m quite excited about that.

The music is proceeding well.  I have yet to work with a concert master that would help me chart the up bows, down bows etc etc..So the charts are not refined yet.  Hopefully, that will all be done by mid Nov.

All in all, things are progressing well.  I’ve had so much on my plate too.  I have a few volunteer committments that I’m very proud to be associated with this year.  However, it is time consuming - and sometimes I feel a bit overwhelmed at my schedule.  I have a more speaking engagements than I anticipated.  But it’s all good.  Busy is good!

Stay tuned for new announcements shortly.

Paul